The team on Thursday agreed to send veteran cornerback Aqib Talib to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2018 fifth-round pick, an NFL source confirmed. The move, which reunites Talib with former Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, saves the Broncos $11 million in cap space and gives them a total of 11 draft picks this year that will be sorely needed to remake the roster.

The transaction cannot be made official until the new league year begins Wednesday.

Talib signed a six-year, $57 million contract with the Broncos as part of John Elway‘s defensive overhaul in 2014 and was selected to a Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons in Denver. Though he still played like a top corner, other numbers worked against him as the Broncos looked to toward the future: he turned 32 in February and two years and $19 million in salary remaining on his contract.

His impending exit from Denver appeared likely when the Broncos exercised the fifth-year contract option on Bradley Roby, worth $8.526 million. It became all but certain earlier Thursday, when the Broncos, as expected, exercised the $1.1 million option on veteran Chris Harris’ contract to pick up the $7.4 million he’s due in 2018. A total cap charge of nearly $31 million for three cornerbacks wasn’t in the cards for a team in search of veteran help in free agency.

“Bradley is a first-round pick,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said, indicating Roby’s eventual rise to a starting role. “He should play well for us. I’m not surprised when he makes plays and when he’s playing at a high level. That’s what he should do. Obviously the Oakland game when Aqib was ejected, he played very well. In the game Aqib missed against Miami, I thought Bradley played very well. He’s definitely capable, but he should be. He’s a first-round pick.”

Before reaching an agreement with the Rams, the Broncos had trade discussions with the 49ers as well as the Patriots to try to move Talib before the start of the new year. Though there was speculation the team would release Talib if a deal couldn’t be made, the Broncos wanted to get something in return for a player of Talib’s caliber.

With his departure, Harris moves up to the No. 1 cornerback on the Broncos’ roster, while Roby assumes the No. 2 cornerback spot and Elway likely shops for a third veteran corner. That third cornerback spot is deemed a starting role in Denver, since the player is often on the field in sub-packages.

The Broncos’ secondary shakeup comes six months after the Broncos released veteran safety T.J. Ward and will likely have a ripple effect in the locker room, even if players expected the cut.

Like Ward, Talib possessed a fire and loyalty that was respected about his teammates, and in his four years as a Broncos, was a leader of the defense. His study habits, which had been refined and enhanced over the years, were used as an example. His technique and game intellect was, too.

In his four years as a Bronco, Talib had 11 interceptions with six of those returned for touchdowns, a franchise record. He also amassed 183 total tackles, two forced fumbles, 48 pass-breakups and one sack, all while earning four Pro Bowl nods and his first and only first-team all-pro selection (2016).

On his career, Talib has 34 interceptions the most of any cornerback in the NFL since 2008 (when he was drafted), and his 10 total pick-sixes rank as the fourth-most all-time, behind Hall of Famers Rod Woodson (12), Darren Sharper (11), and Charles Woodson (11).

In Denver, Talib certainly sealed a Hall of Fame-worthy résumé, but his ride included some notable bumps — ones common in his previous NFL stops in Tampa Bay and New England.

On-field altercations — an eye-poke in Indianapolis and a fight in Oakland — resulted in two suspensions and another incident caused a scare of much more. Four months after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50, Talib shot himself in the leg in Dallas. He physically recovered in time for the following season and did not face punishment from the league.

After two playoff-less seasons with an unsettled quarterback situation, the Broncos face an offseason of change and budget manipulation. To spend big on veterans, which the Broncos could very well do at quarterback, space has to be cleared.

Talib indicated he expected as much back in January when a guest on Altitude 950. “If I wasn’t (returning), it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world,” he told Vic Lombardi. “You have three corners making big money and that’s rare to have.”

Aqib Talib: By the Numbers

10: Years of NFL experience for Talib, who was drafted in the first round (No. 20) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008. He played the last four seasons with the Broncos.

$57 million: Value of the six-year contract he signed with Denver in 2014.

11: Interceptions recorded by Talib during his time as a Broncos. He has 34 total on his career, the most by a cornerback since he entered the league in ’08.

6: Pick-sixes by Talib in his career as a Bronco, a franchise record.

103: Yards returned for a touchdown on Talib’s interception against Dallas last season. It is the longest pick-six in Broncos history.

4: Pro Bowl selections earned by Talib in Denver for a career total of five. He was also selected first-team all-pro in 2016.

Nicki Jhabvala is the lead Broncos and NFL beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving at The Post in 2014, she spent nearly two years as a senior staff editor at The New York Times and five years at Sports Illustrated.